


Broken Open

by wicciangirl



Category: Adam Lambert (Musician), American Idol RPF, Kris Allen (Musician)
Genre: Action/Adventure, Angst, Betrayal, Death, Domestic Violence, Drama, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Family, First Time, Hurt, Hurt/Comfort, Love, M/M, Minor Character Death, Murder, Mystery, Romance, Suspense, Violence, relationship
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-07-08
Updated: 2012-07-08
Packaged: 2017-11-09 10:28:00
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 1
Words: 18,159
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/454459
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/wicciangirl/pseuds/wicciangirl
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>After years of violence and abuse Adam finally escapes.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Broken Open

**Author's Note:**

> Inspired by the song Two Beds and a Coffee Machine by Savage Garden.

 

Adam carefully looked behind him, hearing the deep breathing and felt his ice cold fear ease, he stealthily tiptoed out of their bedroom. He couldn’t let this go on any longer, he had to be stronger for Patrick and Tiffany. Picking up the broken glass, as he walked, Adam reached his destination and gently opened the door, flinching at the loud creek. He quickly looked behind him, relieved to see there was no sign of Nathan. Adam felt his heart break as he looked inside the door and saw the dried tear tracks on his daughter’s face. Quickly packing the bags, Adam gently shook the children awake and held a finger to his lips.

 

Adam said gently. “We’re going on an adventure, my darlings. I’ve got everything; we just need to get you dressed. We have to be really quiet.”

 

“Is Father coming with us?” Tiffany asked hesitantly.

 

“No,” Adam reassured, noticing the relief on his daughter’s face and feeling guilty for not leaving sooner.

 

Tiffany quickly looked at her brother, and quickly picked up her dolls in silence as Patrick put his cars into the red bag their Daddy was holding. The children knew they couldn’t make a noise because it would make Father mad and that was a bad thing. When their Father was mad Daddy would rush them into the bedroom telling them to stay in there and play. Next, they would hear Father yelling, lots of loud bangs and Daddy crying. The next day Daddy was always wearing lots of makeup, Tiffany didn’t like the makeup, it meant Daddy had lots of ouchies.

 

Ten minutes later, they were ready to leave their house of horrors and Adam held a hand out to each of his children. The small group made their way out of the house, Adam giving his children a small reassuring smile.

 

“We need to be really quick, the car is just outside. It’s okay, darlings. Nothing and no one is ever going to hurt you,” Adam said pleased that his fear was not audible.

 

As they walked out of the house, the children tightly held onto their Daddy’s hands, trying their best to be quiet. Once they were in the car, Adam started thinking of where they could go that Nathan couldn’t find them. He couldn’t go to his parents because that was the first place Nathan would look. He couldn’t go to Alison because she could get hurt. Finally, Adam decided there was only one place he could go, only one person who could help without anyone suspecting anything.

 

Adam quickly drove to a rundown motel, the kind were no one would ask any questions. After getting a room, Adam quickly ushered his children inside and gently placed them on bed whispering for them to go to sleep. Adam took out his phone, dialling the number with shaking hands and hoping it hadn’t changed in the last two years.

 

“Hello.”

 

Adam let out a sigh of relief at the long missed voice saying lowly, “Hi Kris. I...I need some help.”

 

“Adam? Why are you calling me?” Kris asked in confusion, he hadn’t spoken or seen Adam in years and had assumed their friendship had faded away like so many in show business.

 

“I really need your help. I’ve got nowhere to go. I can’t go to my family because he would go there first and I can’t let him hurt my babies. Please Kris, I need your help. I won’t bother you too much, I promise. I just need to keep them safe.”

 

“Slow down, Adam. Who would hurt your babies?” Kris said gently.

 

“N...Nathan. Please help me,” Adam begged, desperate to get his children somewhere safe. He didn’t care what happened to him, so long as his children were safe.

 

“Fuck! I'll be there as soon as I can, just keep the door locked. Where are you?”

 

Adam looked around for something with the address on, finding a coaster, he reeled off the address to Kris. Adam gave a broken sob when Kris ended the call saying everything would be okay, Adam knew nothing would be okay again. He shakily sat down on the bed, watching his children sleep and feeling terrible for not managing to escape earlier. He had been so afraid that Nathan would catch them but after that night, he couldn’t stay any longer, not when Nathan threatened to hurt his children.

 

At the beginning Nathan had been everything he wanted in a man, kind, loving, attractive, talented and loyal. They had a wonderful life together, he had ignored Nathan’s small displays of jealously, a part of him had been touched by the jealousy at first. They had been together for six years when Nathan had first hit him, punching him after accusing him of flirting with some singer at an industry party. Nathan had been so apologetic at the time and swore it would never happen again, Adam had believed him. Just two months later Nathan lost his temper and Adam had ended up with bruises and cuts on his torso. Since that day, Adam had endured years of abuse, not knowing what would make Nathan fly off the handle. He had been terrified that if he tried to escape Nathan would follow through on his threats to take away his children and kill his family. Adam had done his best to protect his children, making sure they never saw Nathan’s violence and wearing plenty of makeup to cover any injuries.

 

Adam had no idea how long he sat there, guarding his sleeping children, he would protect them with his life. The next thing Adam knew someone was knocking on the door, shaking slightly Adam looked through the peephole and felt his heartbeat return to normal as he saw Kris.

 

Opening the door; Adam ignored Kris’s gasp when the man saw his face; he knew that he looked a mess but it didn’t matter. Nothing mattered but getting his children safe, as soon as Kris walked into the room, Adam closed the door.

 

Kris took in the sight of a bruised and battered Adam, taking in the split lip, and vivid bruises on Adam’s cheek. He could see deep finger shaped bruises on Adam’s arms. Kris couldn’t believe Adam had suffered so much without anyone seeing, without anyone helping him. Kris felt ashamed that he had let his friendship with Adam fade away, that he had assumed Adam was happy with Nathan.

 

“Are you okay?” Kris asked, feeling stupid for the question, of course Adam wasn’t okay.

 

“Yeah. It doesn’t hurt much. Thank you for coming, I didn’t know who to call. Please, just help my babies and keep them safe. I know I'm asking a lot but there’s no one else I trust to protect them.”

 

Kris said sincerely, “Anything for you, Adam. You can all stay at my place for as long as you need to. Adam, I promise that I'll keep you and them safe. No one will lay a hand on any of you again.”

 

Kris was shocked to see that Adam seemed so awed by his words, as though he had never expected such kindness or loyalty. Kris couldn’t believe this was the same Adam he had known for years, Adam was supposed to be fierce, proud and confident not the skittish, broken man in front of him. Kris wanted nothing more than to destroy Nathan for doing this to Adam, for breaking Adam’s spirit.

 

“Can you pick Patrick up? I'll get Tiffany,” Adam said, ignoring the angry look in Kris’s eyes.

 

Adam knew that Kris wasn’t mad at him, that Kris wouldn’t hurt him, the very idea was unthinkable. Kris was the kindest, honest and gentlest man he had ever known. Kris was the only man he trusted to protect his children. While he loved the rest of his friends, none of them had the fierce protective instincts, commitment or resources Kris had, the man would willingly kill to protect Tiffany and Patrick.

 

Once inside the car, Adam felt himself relax knowing that they would be safe for a while. Although it would break his heart, Adam was willing to sign his rights to his children over to Kris. The only silver lining Adam could see was that Nathan never officially adopted Tiffany or Patrick, meaning he was the only ones with legal rights to his children. He wouldn’t bring up the topic of giving Kris legal rights to his children yet, it could wait until they had settled with Kris.

 

Kris said hesitantly, “Adam, do you need to go to the hospital? You might have broken something.”

 

“They’re just bruises, Kris.” Adam replied confidently, he had become skilled at identifying a broken bone.

 

Adam had been forced to do so since Nathan wouldn’t let him go the hospital in case people started saying things. He had read everything he could about diagnosing injuries and how to deal with broken bones, during the three terrible years he had been abused by Nathan. Adam was still ashamed that he hadn’t left Nathan earlier, when the abuse had started but he had been afraid for his life and the lives of the people he loved. Nathan could be brutal and remorseless at times and would happily kill Adam’s family to keep him in line. Nathan had already caused his brother’s car to go off the road by having someone dismantle the breaks, thankfully Neil had walked away from the crash unharmed.

 

Taking a calming breath Kris said, “Okay, but I want you to take it easy when we get to the house. You can just take a bath and go straight to bed, I'll listen out for the children.”

 

Adam nodded in acceptance as the car pulled away from the hotel and they started the journey to Kris’s house.

 

The silence was strained, Kris couldn’t think of a way to ask about the abuse nor could he blurt out his shame, sorrow and guilt at not helping Adam sooner. All he could think about was that he had seen Adam and Nathan around each other at industry parties and on TV, and never noticed anything was wrong. It was clear that Adam was an amazing actor. Kris had assumed they were truly in love, having noticed that Adam tended to stay close to his partner whenever they were in public. Now he saw Adam had stayed at Nathan’s side out of fear.

 

The car had just pulled to a stop when Adam’s phone started vibrating in his pocket, taking it out; Adam looked at the display and started shaking with fear and panic. It was Nathan calling him, he would be furious and that never boded well. Adam flinched when the phone was taken from his hands, looking over at Kris, he could see anger, fear, concern burning in the man’s eyes.

 

Kris flipped open the phone taking care to keep quiet so he didn’t wake the children. Kris could see the fear in Adam’s eyes and whilst he may not have been there to help before, now he could.

 

Mindful that the children were sleeping Kris answered the phone calmly, “Hello.”

 

“Who is that?” Nathan said accusingly.

 

Holding Adam’s hand comfortingly Kris said, “A friend of Adam’s, what do you want?”

 

Nathan said calmly, “I want my partner and children back home where they belong. Tell Adam to come home now or does he need me to come and get him.”

 

“Oh, hi Nathan. I'm afraid, I don’t know where Adam is. He borrowed some money for a cab and left, the car got a flat and he didn’t want to wake you. That mugger a few days ago really hurt Adam, huh?”

 

Relieved the man didn’t suspect anything Nathan said quickly, “Oh yeah, the mugger. Don’t worry, the police are looking for him. Do you know when he left?”

 

“Around forty minutes ago, I think.”

 

“Thanks,” Nathan said calmly before ending the call.

 

Kris looked over at Adam whose eyes shined with shocked gratitude, as though he had expected Kris to force him to return to his nightmare. Kris would never let that happen, he would be dead before he saw Adam go back to his life of pain. It worried him that Adam had begged for sanctuary on behalf of children but not himself. Kris suspected Adam was going to return to his abusive partner for some reason and Kris couldn’t let that happen. He would not let Adam suffer anymore, he would give everything he had to keep Adam safe.

 

“Let’s go in the house,” Kris said quickly.

 

Kris was thankful he had ignored advice when he had purchased the large house two years ago after his divorce. He had bought the house in the hope that one day he would have children and a partner so he would need a large home. Of course, life hadn’t worked out as he had planned, he had only been on a handful of dates since his divorce because he found it hard to differentiate between people who were interested in him as a person and those who just wanted Kris Allen – pop star.

 

Adam briefly looked at the house, admiring the simple yet beautiful architecture before unfastening his seatbelt and quickly getting out of the car. Adam wanted to get his children into the house safely before anyone spotted them and Nathan discovered their hiding place. He couldn’t let Nathan find his children, he would take a few days to spend as much time with his children as possible before leaving to distract Nathan.

Minutes later, the children were lying asleep in a double bed in one of Kris’s many spare rooms. Adam kissed their heads, gently before walking out of the room to the lounge where Kris was waiting for him. Now that he had a chance to look at Kris, he had to admit that the man was even more enchanting now than when they had first met, not that it mattered. Adam wasn’t going to risk getting into another relationship, his focus had to be on his children and making sure they got through this living nightmare.

 

“You look a mess,” Kris said honestly.

 

“Thanks, Kris. You say the sweetest things.”

 

Kris suggested, “Why don’t you go and have a sleep in your bedroom, you can take the one next to the children’s. Do you need some clothes or anything?”

 

“I managed to get a few things packed before I...left. There’s not much but I'll manage,” Adam reassured, not wanting to make Kris worry.

 

Kris said quickly, “You don’t have to manage. I can pick stuff up for you, if you want.”

 

“I...I might take you up on that offer later. Nathan doesn’t have access to my bank account at least. He said it was to make sure I didn’t spend any of his money. Whenever he wanted money, he just made me sign to give him permission.”

 

“At least he can’t take your money,” Kris said, seeing Adam wanted to avoid the subject of his abuse.

 

Adam yawned, unsurprised by his tiredness since he had been up most of the night being beaten and berated. When Nathan had finally let him go and fallen asleep, Adam had waited for his chance to escape, adrenalin surging through his body kept him awake and alert to protect his children.

 

“I...I guess I should get some sleep. Thank you for this Kris. I don’t know what I would have done if you didn’t help.”

 

Kris said quickly, “I would never refuse to help you, Adam. You are my friend and I don’t want you to suffer. I just wish I had been able to help you sooner or realised something was wrong.”

 

“That’s okay, Kris. I made sure no one suspected anything, it was safer that way. Makeup and baggy clothes can hide a lot,” Adam said seriously.

 

Kris said decisively, “You don’t have to go through that again. You are safe here. First thing in the morning you can report Nathan to the police and we’ll find you a lawyer to make sure he can’t try to get custody of the children.”

 

Adam nodded in acceptance before leaving the room, looking forward to spending a night without having to worry about doing something to garner Nathan’s attention. Adam went to the bedroom Kris assigned him, feeling exhausted now his adrenalin to returned to normal. Lying in bed, Adam tried to reassure himself that the abuse he endured at Nathan’s hands was over and now Kris was there to protect his children.

 

In the lounge, Kris was sitting and looking into the log fire he had installed soon after getting the house. As he stared into the hypnotic flames, Kris made up a plan of how he was going to help Adam heal. He was certain that if they worked together, they could destroy the power Nathan had over Adam. He was going to help Adam and children heal, even if took the rest of his life, Kris would banish the pain and fear from Adam’s beautiful blue eyes.

 

*******

 

Adam had been asleep for an hour before he woke, wanting...needing to be with his children in case they had a nightmare and to reassure himself that they were okay. Although his children hadn’t suffered from nightmares before, he wasn’t sure if being in a strange house would unsettle them.

 

Adam walked into the children’s room, smiling when he saw they were sleeping soundly. Adam took a seat on the futon and closed his eyes to sleep. It wouldn’t be comfortable but it wasn’t a problem since he had gone to sleep in stranger positions and surroundings.  Closing his eyes, Adam fell asleep, reassured now that he would be there if his children needed him.

 

*******

 

Looking at the clock, Kris was surprised no one was awake, he would have thought the children at least would be up as it was now nine a.m. Kris stealthily made his way downstairs, wanting to have breakfast ready for when Adam and the children woke up. He had no idea what the children would eat, or even if Adam’s tastes had changed. He quickly decided that the easiest thing to make was pancakes, after all, who could hate pancakes.  
  
As he cooked, Kris tried to figure out what he was going to do next, he wanted to help but he had no idea if Adam would let him. Kris didn’t want Adam to go back to Nathan but he couldn’t stop Adam should he decide to go back to the monster. All he could do was be there for Adam, and show the man that there were other options. He wasn’t blind to the sorrow in Adam’s eyes when he looked at his children, as though trying to capture each moment with them. Adam acted as though it was the last time he would see his children and Kris couldn’t let that happen.  
  
Feeling eyes on him, Kris turned around in time to spot a mess of red curly hair as Tiffany rushed out of view. He was surprised at how quick she had moved and her interest in him. Returning to his cooking Kris smiled on hearing the familiar footfalls that could only belong to Adam. He turned around in time to see Adam and Patrick walking into the room with Tiffany trailing behind. The children were watching Kris carefully as they took a seat either side of Adam.

  
Putting down a plate of pancakes and store bought waffles onto the breakfast bar; Kris smiled in encouragement before getting the juice, milk and two bottles of water. He had no idea what the children drank so he thought it best to cover all his bases.

  
“Daddy?” Tiffany asked biting her lip.

  
Adam smiled saying, “Yeah, beautiful?”

  
“Who’s that?” Tiffany asked regarding Kris with a suspicious glare.

  
“He’s my friend, Kris. We’re going to stay with him for a little bit.” Adam said carefully.

  
Adam hoping that explanation would be enough because he didn’t know how to explain his motives without scaring his children. He didn’t want his children to know they were hiding from Nathan, he didn’t want them to know the truth because it would scare them.

  
Tiffany nodded as her Daddy started putting food on her plate. She was going to make sure this man wasn’t like Father, she didn’t want Daddy to be sad anymore or to wear the ouchie makeup.

  
Kris sat down at the breakfast bar smiling in greeting at the children, who just nodded at him. He guessed it was too soon to expect the children to smile at him but he wanted them to feel safe in his home. He would never let the children or Adam be in harm’s way again, he would protect them with everything he had. Adam might find his protective nature to be grating eventually but Kris wasn’t going to back down, he had let Adam down before by not seeing his friend was in pain and couldn’t stand doing it again

 

 ****meanwhile in LA** ******

 

Reading the GPS in front of him, Nathan snarled on seeing Adam had gone to San Diego. The man had no right to leave him, Adam belonged to him as did the children. Pressing speed dial one, Nathan paced, anger and hate filling his body. He couldn’t believe Adam had done this to him. That slut, had no right to leave him.

  
Getting through to Adam’s voicemail Nathan snarled, “Adam, you better get back here now. How dare you do this to me, you little slut. You had no right to leave, Adam. You are mine! I am going to make you wish you were never born for disobeying me! If I have to come and get you, you will be sorry. Get back now, Adam. When I find out who helped you, I am going to kill them.”

  
Ending the call, Nathan thought about what to do next, he would have to find the scum who had taken Adam get away from him. Nathan assumed it was the man he had spoken to earlier, the man he had dismissed as unimportant because he had trained Adam to obey him. Adam had been warned time and time again of the consequences of betrayal and Nathan was going to do everything he had promised Adam. He would destroy Adam for his transgression. He had given Adam everything he ever wanted but the singer had thrown it all back in his face. He had even let Adam have the family, he had always wanted.

  
Nathan would not let Adam take the children away. Whilst he hadn’t really developed a bond with the annoyances as he thought of them, they were an effective tool in controlling Adam. Adam quickly cowered when the annoyances were threatened. With a dark smile, Nathan dialled the police, knowing Adam would be soon begging at his feet.

  
“Please, I need some help...my husband’s...he’s took my children,” Nathan said in a shaking voice, knowing it would make him credible.

  
The operator said calmly, “Okay, Sir. I need some information from you. Can you please tell me the names and ages of your children? What is your partner’s name?”

  
Nathan quickly gave the information; smirking when he thought of how Adam would lose the children he loved so much.

  
“That’s great, Sir. Where are you at the moment?” The operator said soothingly.

  
“At home. Adam must have taken them from here, their clothes have gone. Please help me get my babies back.”

  
“Okay, Sir. I am sending some officers for you right away. Would like me to stay on the line?”

  
“No...I need to see if anyone has seen Adam,” Nathan said ending the call.

  
Nathan smirked, Adam would be back within a day. The loss of the children would break Adam, the man would quickly come home where he could be punished and made to crawl on his knees for forgiveness.

  
Going into the bedroom, Nathan went to the back of the closet where Adam kept his address book. Even if he had to dial every man in the book, he would find who had helped Adam and make them suffer.

*******

Adam winced as he stood up, his ribs still hurting after the hard punches Nathan had given him the day before. Although he was in pain, Adam knew he had to call the police to stop Nathan from taking his children away. He was certain Nathan’s first step would be to take Tiffany and Patrick, they were the light in Adam’s world.

 

“Are you okay?” Kris said whispered, not wanting to alarm the children who were paying with the toys they had managed to pack.

 

“To be perfectly honest, not really. We need to call the police, I can’t let Nathan take my children,” Adam said agitatedly.

 

Kris passed over the phone and listened as Adam informed the police of the domestic abuse. He knew the matter of the children would have to be addressed when the police arrived, Adam wouldn’t want to have his children out of sight.

 

Adam put down the phone before turning to Kris saying, “They are sending round some police, I hope they are not homophobes.”

 

“I'm sure they won’t be. Do you want to watch a little television while we wait for them?”

 

Adam shook his head at Kris’s suggestion, needing time to organise his thoughts. He couldn’t just be an incoherent wreck when the police arrived. He had to be in control so the police listened to him and helped.

 

Twenty five minutes later, the door rang and Kris rushed to open it. At the doorway were two men, one was African-American with a serious smile and an air of authority. The second man had a svelte diver’s build, compact but powerful.

 

“My name is detective Tony Kerry and this is my partner, detective Jeff Foster. We received a telephone call from a Mr Lambert?”

 

“Hello detectives. Adam is in the lounge,” Kris said with a seriously.

 

Once the men had walked inside the house, Kris led the pair to the lounge before looking at the children and seeing the worried look in Adam’s eyes.

 

“Tiff, Rick, Kris wants to play blocks with you. Why don’t you play them in your bedroom?”

 

Tiffany glared remembering that Daddy always sent them to their room when Father made him cry with the bangs. These men were not going to hurt her Daddy. Turning to Kris, the man her Daddy said was good, Tiffany said quickly, “Will you stay with Daddy if we play blocks upstairs? Or...I can stay, I don't have to play. They might be bad men. Please, Mr Kris.”

 

Adam was surprised at his daughter’s response since building blocks were her favourite game, hence the reason he had pack them in her suitcase along with Patrick’s fire truck. Seeing the look on Tiffany’s face, Adam smiled slightly on recognising the look as one he used on incompetent people.

 

Kneeling so he could look straight into his daughter’s eyes Adam said gently, “Tiff, baby, it’s okay. These men aren’t going to hurt me, just play with your blocks for bit. I won’t be talking to the men for long.”

 

Tiffany nodded in acceptance as she held her hand out for Kris, walking out of the room slowly whilst casting wary looks at the men. She would listen to make sure Daddy wasn’t crying. She wished Mr Kris was staying  to help Daddy.

 

Once the children were safely out of earshot, Adam sat down, gesturing for the police to do the same. He sat back and took a deep breath, he needed to get it right on the first try.

 

“Hello, Mr Lambert. My name is detective Kerry and this is my partner, detective Foster. I believe you called our station about a domestic abuse charge.”

 

“Yeah. My husband has been hitting me for a while but when he started threatening my babies, I had to get away. I couldn’t let him hurt my babies.”

 

Detective Foster said “Okay, tell me everything that happened.”

 

With a deep breath Adam recanted, “We went in our bedroom. Nathan was angry because I had made the steak medium instead of rare. I had gotten distracted by something...I can’t remember what. He just started hitting me on my stomach first then my face and arms. I knew he was going to really hurt me since he had hit me in the face. Nathan’s never that careless; he said it would get too much attention. He didn’t want the world seeing what a useless slut he has for a husband.”

 

Whenever Nathan lost his temper enough to hit him in the face, Adam had to cancel appearances. It had only happened four times but each time, he had been unable to leave the house for a week until the bruises started to fade and he could apply enough makeup to hide them. He accepted that these cancellations just cemented his uncooperative, diva image.

 

“What happened then?” Detective Kerry said gently.

 

His voice shaking slightly Adam said, “He said that if the children didn’t stop making a noise, he was going to hit them to teach them a lesson. I couldn’t let him hurt by babies. I needed to get far away as possible. We all packed and got into the car, I just started driving, until we reached a hotel where it looked like no one would ask any questions. I called Kris for help because I knew Nathan wouldn’t expect me to go to Kris. Kris and I haven’t really spoken in years because of our schedules and stuff. To be honest, I haven’t spoken to most of my friends in a while, Nathan didn’t like it when I did.” 

 

“That’s great, Mr Lambert. Now, we need to take some photographs of your injuries. We can do those here, if you want?” Detective Foster said, knowing the man wouldn’t want to be separated from his children.

 

Adam nodded in agreement as the detective pulled out a camera and started taking photographs. He knew it would make more sense for the photographs to be done at the police station or even the hospital but he wanted to stay by his children. He couldn’t subject them to having to go to the police station or the hospital while he was examined.

 

“Okay, Mr Lambert. We have all the photographs we need. We might have to talk to you again.”

 

“Okay, I'll be staying here for a while.” Adam said.

 

Kris’s place was a good temporary hideout until he had convinced Kris to keep his children there safe whilst he dealt with Nathan. Standing, he showed the detectives to the door, sighing in relief once they were gone.

 

Adam called up to his children and Kris that it was okay to come down. He was quickly tackled by a ball of flaming red hair as Tiffany tightly hugged him, followed by Patrick who gave him a quick kiss on the cheek. Adam knew the next few days would be hard but he would get through it, he had to for his children.

 

*******

 

“Adam, you need to see this,” Kris said staring at the television in shock and anger.

 

Adam walked in just as the news anchor was recapping her story, he was disgusted to hear that the police were looking for him in regard to the kidnapping of his own children. He had no idea how people could think he would take his own children, he was devoted to them.

 

He couldn’t let anyone take his babies, Adam turned to Kris knowing the man probably still had the number of the divorce lawyer he had used during his divorce to Katy. Adam would need a kickass lawyer to stop Nathan from destroying him and taking his children. Nathan’s parents were both great lawyers that would undoubtedly side with Nathan, regardless of the abuse he had subjected Adam to.

 

“Kris, do still have the name of the lawyer that used in your divorce with Katy?” Adam asked still staring at the screen.

 

“Yeah. I'll just get it from my Filofax,” Kris said amazed that he had got to the point of needing one.

 

While Kris had plenty of friends before he became famous, he had their numbers off by heart but there was no chance of him remembering the hundreds of numbers he was now given. He had numbers of the people he had never imagined meeting such as Lady Gaga and Keith Urban.

 

Adam was pleased his children were playing upstairs so they wouldn’t be subjected to the horrific broadcast. He was still amazed at how strong his children were, able to cope with the way their lives had been uprooted. He had been able to tell by their smiles earlier that morning that they were happy to be living away from Nathan.

 

“There you go, I'm sure Thomas will take your case he is a nice guy” Kris said reassuringly as he handed over a piece of paper.

 

“Thanks,” Adam said, picking up his phone, frowning on seeing the battery was dead.

 

“You can use my phone,” Kris said softly before walking out of the way for Adam to make the call in private.

 

Kris didn’t want to make Adam feel as though he was eavesdropping, knowing Adam would tell him about it later if he wanted. Adam needed to be independent, to take charge of his own life. He didn’t want to take control of Adam’s life, the other man had been under the control of the tyrannical Nathan for years.

 

Adam was touched that Kris had moved to the other side of the room to read a book, remaining nearby if needed whilst giving Adam his space. Picking up the phone, Adam quickly dialled the lawyer in the fervent hope that the man would agree to help him.

 

“Good morning, Mr Santos. My name is Adam Lambert, I was given your number by my friend Kris Allen. I would like you to be my divorce lawyer.”

 

“Good morning, Mr Lambert. I take it you are the singer Adam Lambert?”

 

“Yes.” Adam answered hoping his fame wouldn’t stop the man from representing him.

 

“I'll represent you, Mr Lambert. You will have to completely honest with me about your life.” Thomas said seriously.

 

Adam stopped to think it over, fearing that as soon as someone saw him they would report him to the police and he would be arrested before he could make everyone see that he was innocent.

 

“Thank you, Mr Santos. I'm not going to keep any secrets. I should warn you this is going to be messy. My husband is already playing dirty and accusing me of kidnapping my children. I’ve got a little girl called Tiffany who’s seven and a little boy called Patrick who’s three. I can’t let my abusive husband to take custody of them.”

 

“Please call me Tomas and I did see the news. We’re going to do everything we can to keep your children away from your husband. Are you available to see me today?”

 

Adam said seriously, “You can call me Adam. I don’t want to leave Kris’s house at the moment. Could you come here?”

 

“Of course. I'll be at Mr Allen’s home in the next hour. Don’t worry, we’ll clear everything up with the police and keep your children safe.”

 

Adam smiled, “I’ll see you then Thomas.”

 

Adam ended the call and felt a huge weight from his shoulders, he had taken the first step towards independence and securing a safe future for his family. Adam was under no illusions as to how messy the case might end up and he would do his best to protect his children from everything. Ultimately, the case would end up as his word against Nathan’s since other than the photographs from that morning, he didn’t have medical reports to show the abuse he had been subjected to. There weren’t even any witnesses since he had been careful not to let his bruises or pain show, not to mention Nathan was careful to keep the bruises to where they could be hidden.

 

“He’s taking the case. I...asked him to meet me here. I don’t want to risk going out in case people find out where I am and try to take my children away.”

 

Placing a gentle hand on Adam’s arm Kris said honestly, “Hey, you can ask anyone you want to come here. This is your home for as long as you need it.”

 

Adam looked into Kris’s expressive eyes, amazed to see his friend was telling the truth. How he wanted to have a home that felt safe again but he knew better than to wish for such things. He knew Nathan would come for him again and that he would go with the man if it meant the safety of his children. He just hoped that Kris would agree to take his children into his heart and his life because Adam had no one else he trusted to love and protect them. His family were amazing but he didn’t want his children to live with them because they didn’t have the resources to protect his children.

 

 Adam needed someone who could move mountains if need be, someone who had the means to take his children and disappear if need be until it was safe. Kris had the money to do so and due to his fame had some contacts who would do slightly illegal things without question and would keep quiet.

*******

“Lambert’s husband has said he’s kidnapped the children,” Foster said frowning, to him it stunk of a vindictive, abusive man trying to get Lambert back under his thumb.

 

Taking the fax containing details of the amber alert Kerry said “Great. We’ll have to speak to the detectives on the case. It didn’t look like the children were under duress. The girl seemed to be really scared that we would hurt Lambert, making me think that the she saw him hurt a lot.”

 

“Yeah. This looks like the husband’s freaking out because Lambert took the children and escaped his abuse. I'll call child services to get someone to tag along while we go back to see Lambert.”

 

Kerry nodded in agreement whilst typing up his notes on the investigation. He would have to contact the LA detective in charge of the kidnapping case, this whole thing needed to get sorted quickly. He didn’t want to risk the children going to live with Nathan Alexander. He just hoped the courts would leave them with Lambert until a formal custody arrangement was made or Alexander was in prison.

*******

Nathan threw Adam’s address book across the room in disgust, he had called every man in the book and no one sounded like the man who had spoken to him the previous night who had helped Adam betray him. Nathan would find the interloper and make him suffer.

 

Nathan couldn’t let Adam get away with such reprehensible behaviour, his slave belonged on his knees, fulfilling his every need and wish. Destroying Adam’s supposed rescuer would teach Adam that betrayal would result in the death of those he was close to. He was lucky that police were so easy to manipulate, they would help him bring Adam back cowering at his feet. Once Adam had been found, he would drop the charges and explain that it was just a big misunderstanding after he and Adam had an argument.

*******

“So what did you think of him?” Jessica Evans, the child services agent asked as the car drove towards the Allen home.

 

She knew Adam Lambert would not be happy to see her and she was used to that reaction, the difference being that this time she was going to be raked across the coals in public if she made a mistake. The children involved were only young, the oldest was the almost seven year old Tiffany and her brother Patrick was only three.

 

Detective Kerry answered confidently, “Lambert seems devoted to those kids and he is afraid of his husband.”

 

“Do you think he kidnapped them?”

 

“No.”

 

The woman nodded at Kerry’s quick answer to her question, apparently he was going with his gut instinct. She could work with that, given their chosen vocation a lot of cops went on gut instincts that later proved to be correct and Kerry had great instincts.

 

“What about the children?”

 

Foster considered the social worker’s question before saying, “The girl, Tiffany, seems to be wary of us hurting Lambert. Patrick is only three so I don’t know how much he’ll know about what happened.”

 

The car pulled to a stop and Evans mentally calmed herself for what could end up being a messy encounter. She knocked on the door and waited for it to be answered, ready to do everything she could to protect the children.

*******

Opening the door Kris smiled at the detectives, hoping their appearance meant they had some good news such as Nathan had been arrested.

 

“Hi detectives.”

 

“Hello. Is Mr Lambert here?”

 

“Yeah he’s in the lounge with the children. Oh...I don’t know if I introduced myself before. I'm Kris Allen.”

 

At the nods of greeting, Kris led the three strangers through the house, noticing the way the woman was studying it. He had no idea who the woman was but she didn’t strike him as a normal detective. When they reached the lounge, Kris couldn’t help but laugh at the sight of Adam playing blocks with the children, somehow the three had built a mini Stonehenge complete with a colour coordinated pathway.

 

“Hello, Mr Lambert.”

 

Adam looked up and froze at the sight of the woman studying him and his children as though they were the missing pieces of a jigsaw puzzle.

 

“Hello detectives. Pleased to meet you Ms...?”

 

“My name’s Jessica Evans, I am a social worker with the child protection services. I need to speak with yourself and your children as soon as possible.”

 

“I don’t want my children going anywhere with some stranger. Sorry if that upsets you but it’s not going to happen.”

 

Before Adam could get anymore riled up there was a loud knock at the door, with an apologetic look, Kris ran to the door and smiled in relief on seeing Thomas Santos. The lawyer would help make sure that the children weren’t taken out of the house by the social worker, he couldn’t see a reason why the Ms Evans couldn’t speak to the children in another room.

 

“Hi Thomas. You have great timing, some social worker’s just turned up.” Kris said greeting the lawyer with a smile.

 

“Don’t worry, I can take care of that.” Thomas said confidently.

 

Walking back into the lounge, Kris noticed the children were still playing apparently oblivious to the tension in the room. Kris was relieved to see Adam was holding up okay, his friend was amazing. He had no idea how Adam could remain in control after everything that had happened.

 

“Hello, my name is Thomas Santos. I'm Mr Lambert’s lawyer.”

 

Seeing everything was going to get messy Jessica Evans said seriously, “My name is Jessica Evans. I'm with child services, I need to speak to Mr. Lambert and the children separately.”

 

The lawyer said coolly, “I must insist that you speak to the children in this house, after all, we don’t want to upset them. I am going to be there as well.”

 

Seeing she wasn’t going to win and that the lawyer at least wouldn’t interfere, the social worker nodded, “That’s fine. Do you have a room we can use, Mr Allen?”

 

“You can use any you want apart from the bedrooms,” Kris said calmly.

 

“Thank you, Mr Allen. Now could I speak to Tiffany for a bit?”

 

Adam nodded and walked over to his children who were still playing with the coloured bricks and in the process of making a fort.

 

He smiled gently saying, “Tiff, this lady needs to speak to you for a little bit. Now, I’ve got to stay here while she talks to you but if you want me, just tell the lady and I'll be right there.”

 

Tiffany stopped and studied the lady with the pretty blond hair, she had a nice smile and Daddy seemed to like her. She nodded in agreement and walked over to the woman, giving her Daddy a small smile as they walked out. With Thomas following just behind to make sure the social worker didn’t influence the child’s answers.

*******

Kneeling so that she was at the girl’s level Jessica said with a friendly smile, “Hi Tiffany. My name is Jessica. I saw you playing with the bricks. What were you building?”

 

“Nice to meet you Ms Jessica. We did about it in school, it’s called St...Stonehenge. Ms Williams said it is really far away.

 

“It’s beautiful.”

 

“That’s what Daddy said.” Tiffany said with a toothy smile.

 

“Was that Daddy Adam?”

 

Tiffany stared at the woman in confusion saying, “Yep. I have a Daddy and I have a Father.”

 

Jessica Evans noticed the way the girl’s voice became colder when she mentioned her Father. To her trained ear and eyes, it seemed that Tiffany did like her Father for some reason.

 

“What’s it like in your home?” Jessica asked gently.

 

“Good. I have the bestest Daddy in the world. Daddy cries a lot though. I don’t like it when Daddy cries.”

 

Jessica asked, “Why does Daddy cry?”

 

Tiffany bit her lip saying, “I don’t know. Daddy always tells me and Rick to go to our bedroom, close the door and stay there until he comes back. Then I hear Father yelling mean stuff at Daddy and saying naughty swear words. There are loads of bangs and Daddy cries. The next day, Daddy wears the ouchie make up. I don’t like that make up. Daddy has other makeup but he only wears the ouchie makeup when Father yelled at him and there were lots of bangs.”

 

“Well, I’m going to try and make sure Daddy doesn’t wear the ouchie makeup again. Do you like living here?”

 

“Yeah. Daddy said we’re staying with Mr Kris for a little bit. Mr Kris is Daddy’s friend, he doesn’t yell or make Daddy cry and he smiles a lot. He made pancakes for breakfast with chocolate.”

 

“That’s great. Do you want to go back to your Daddy?”

 

At Tiffany’s quick nod, the social worker smiled gently and walked the girl back into the lounge. She debated how useful it would be to speak to Patrick since he was only young and wouldn’t be able to say much. She would have to speak to Lambert and find out more about the children’s lives should they stay with Lambert.

 

“Hey baby, are you okay?” Adam asked gently when his daughter walked into the lounge and ran over to him.

 

Giving his daughter a hug, Adam whispered reassurances in his ear, worried about what the social worker had said to upset her. As he hugged her, Adam could feel Tiffany relaxing, breaking the hold he smiled widely.

 

“Do you want to play with the blocks? You can show Kris how to make a fort. He’s never made one before. I'm just going to talk to Jessica.”

 

Tiffany stared at Mr Kris in amazement, she thought everyone knew how to make a fort. She smiled at him and grabbed his hand, leading him to the blocks, pointing at a spot for him to sit down.

 

“I'll help you Mr Kris. We will make a huge pink fort!”

 

Adam couldn’t help but smile at Kris’s nod of agreement as his daughter gently ordered him around. He softly followed the social worker out of the room with Thomas just a step behind.

 

“So are you going to move in here, Mr Lambert?” The social worker asked seriously.

 

Adam said honestly, “For a while. I can’t live here forever, it wouldn’t be fair to Kris. We’re going to find somewhere else to live eventually. I'm going to find somewhere with a big garden, lots of bedrooms, a loads of space for their toys and a great security system.”

 

“Okay. Now I'll be back in a bit to speak to you again.” The social worker said briefly.

 

“Okay, that’s everything we need. We may be back to talk to you again,” Detective Kerry said, pleased that the men hadn’t been upset by the social worker as he had anticipated.

 

Kris escorted the police and social worker out of his house, pleased that the ordeal was over. He knew whatever the woman had said to Tiffany had unsettled the girl and it made his heart seize. He didn’t even know much about Adam’s children but he couldn’t help but feel an urge to protect them from the world.

 

*******

 

Jessica Evans wrote up her brief report with a sigh, knowing that regardless of what she said the children were likely to be dragged through a custody battle. By listening to Adam’s words and scrutinising his body language Jessica could definitively say he adored his children and would protect them to his last breath. She knew how terrifying it must have been for him to take the step to leave his husband but Adam had done it as soon as his children were threatened according to the detectives.

 

Jessica would turn in her report saying that the two Lambert children should remain with Adam and from Tiffany’s statement; Nathan Alexander was abusive to Adam. Jessica had noticed the bruises and marks on Adam’s face they were just visible under the man’s makeup but then she had plenty of experience with seeing supposedly obscured injuries.

 

Jessica wasn’t naive as to the ways the law and system could be manipulated by great lawyers, she saw it happen all the time. She just hoped that this time the law worked and the children and Adam. The social worker was relieved that her earlier verbal report along with those of the two detectives working on the domestic abuse case was enough to make the LAPD drop the kidnapping charges against Adam.

 

Jessica would have to do spot checks on the homes of Nathan and Adam but she wanted to wait until she had a little more information about how the domestic violence investigation was going.

*******

 “How old were your children when Mr Alexander first hit you?” Thomas asked writing in his notebook.

 

“Tiffany was four and Patrick was six months old.” Adam said quickly.

  

 “How long have you been married to Mr Alexander and can you give me some details about when he first hit you?”

 

Adam answered bitterly, “Eight, almost nine years. We dated for a year before getting married. I thought he was my prince charming and everything was great until around three years ago. He said I was cheating on him with some wannabe singer at some party. He didn’t believe me when I said I wasn’t and he hit me, punched me twice in the face and once in the stomach. He said it was what I deserved for being a whore.”

 

"What happened afterwards?" Thomas questioned, although he had an inkling of what Adam would say since he had dealt with domestic abuse victims before.

 

“He said he was sorry and it would never happen again and I believe him. What a fucking idiot I was. A month or so later he lost his temper again, I can’t remember what for and hit me again. He would hit me whenever I did something he didn’t approve of like talking to anyone he didn’t approve of or wore the what he called revealing slutty clothes, cooked something he didn’t like or even burnt something. At first it was just punches and then he started kicking me.”

 

Unsurprised by Adam's reply the lawyer said, “Why didn’t you leave him when the abuse started?”

 

Adam blushed, “At first I thought it was a one off thing and I really believed he wouldn’t do it again. Then he started saying he would hurt my family if I ever tried to leave. He said he would arrange for someone to kill them and he would take my children away, that he would make everyone see what a disgusting, slut I was.”

 

Thomas Santos said calmly, “Given the domestic abuse charges you have filed against your husband, it’s very likely that the judge may award you custody outright because it’s in the best interests of the children. There is no way the children would be sent into a household where there is violence, abuse or neglect.”

 

“Really?” Adam asked hopefully.

 

Thomas solemnly nodded, “Yes but you can’t rely on it. Adam, I need you to be completely honest with me. Some things will be a little uncomfortable and intrusive but I promise these are all to help your case. I need to know about every mistake or infidelity on your part because it will come back and bite you in the ass.”

 

Adam nodded in understanding, taking a second to get his thoughts under control before Thomas could begin his interrogation.

 

“How would describe your relationship with your husband?”

 

Adam swiftly replied, “Abusive. He was physically and emotionally abusive to me. If I did anything he didn’t approve of or even if I wore something that he didn’t like, Nathan would lose his temper and hit me.”

 

“Where were your children when this happened?”

 

“In their bedroom, it was the safest place for them. I would tell them to go their room and not to come out until I told them it was okay. I was scared Nathan would hurt my babies and I couldn’t, won’t let that happen.”

 

“Do you have any evidence of this alleged abuse?”

 

“The only evidence have is the photographs the police took when I filed charges for abuse.”

 

“Why did you leave your home in LA with your children?”

 

“I was scared when Nathan said he was going to hurt them to keep me in line. I had to leave without him knowing because I was afraid that he would hurt me or them if he caught us.”

 

“Where are you living at the moment, Mr Lambert?”

 

“With my friend Kris Allen. Kris has said we can stay with him indefinitely and I appreciate it but I have started looking at places to live.”

 

“What is the nature of your relationship with Mr Allen?”

 

“He’s one of my best friends and I trust him with everything I am. I know he will protect my children from anyone and anything until his last breath.”

 

“Your work has you travelling around the world, what would you do with your children?”

 

Adam said decisively. “I'm going to get tutors to help them and make sure that they don’t fall behind. I will do my best to make sure their schooling is not disturbed and I know my family will look after my children if I have to leave. I have one three month tour a year that I can easily schedule it around the school breaks. I release an album every year but I can make sure that the promotional work doesn’t take me away from my children too often.”

 

“You have admitted to using illegal narcotics in the past, is that correct?”

 

“Yes, when I was in my early twenties. I haven’t used anything since,” Adam said honestly.

 

“How would you describe Mr Alexander as a parent?”

 

“He’s not a very good one. He doesn’t even have much to do with Tiffany and Patrick. He forgot Rick’s appointment with the paediatrician when we were worried about his hearing and he didn’t even turn up for Tiff’s Christmas recital.”

 

“Have you ever left work to be with your children?”

 

“I cancelled an interview once because Patrick had a cold one day and I didn’t want to leave him with the nanny. My children are my world and I will do anything for them.”

 

Thomas smiled saying, “You did well Adam and were very honest. As long as you are like that and you keep your cool, it should be okay. Now, you haven’t changed your name to Alexander and the children both have your surname, right? Mr Alexander hasn’t adopted the children, correct?”

 

Adam nodded, “Yeah. Nathan said that since there was no chance that I was ever going to leave him, there was no need for him to adopt them.”

 

“In terms of the divorce, I believe there is a pre-nuptial agreement in place.”

 

“Yeah, my lawyer has a copy.” Adam said remembering how surprised he had been when Nathan had suggested the agreement.

 

As Nathan had suggested the agreement, Adam had taken it as a sign of Nathan’s love and faith in their marriage. Thankfully, it would make the whole divorce so much easier but Adam was hoping that Nathan would end up behind bars where he belonged.

 

“I will see about getting a restraining order. For now, the best thing is to keep in touch with the social worker and be cooperative with the police. Adam, **do not** have any contact with Mr Alexander without a lawyer, a bodyguard or a cop present.”

 

Adam said wryly, “I wasn’t planning on seeing him again apart from in court.”

*******

Hearing the familiar beeping of his phone, Adam looked up for the source of the sound just as Kris walked in holding it.

 

“Hope you don’t mind but I decided to charge it for you. It’s lucky we’ve both got the same phone...is yours from the label?”

 

Adam nodded, it was something he had been reluctant to accept but Nathan had warned him to agree or else he would end up black and blue for days. Nathan was just after the endorsement money the label had negotiated.

 

Looking at the phone Adam was surprised to see ten missed calls, scrolling through the call log he was scared to see most of the calls were from Nathan. He had two calls from his mom and one from Neil, probably trying to find out what was going on. Accessing his voicemail, Adam felt his heart race as he each of Nathan’s cold, heartless menacing words filled his ears.

 

Seeing Adam sudden pallor, Kris gently pulled the dark haired man down next to him saying, “Adam, what’s wrong?”

 

Adam explained, “Nathan left a message. He’s threatened to basically destroy me and kill you. You have to take care of yourself, have you got a bodyguard nearby?”

 

Making plans to keep everyone safe Kris said quickly, “He’s not going to get the chance to hurt either of us. I can get a recommendation from the record company for the best bodyguards. Adam, there’s no judge in the world who would give him custody of the children.”

 

Kris would get some contingency plans in place in case something happened and Adam and/or the children had to quickly be evacuated from the state. He knew it was risky but he had more resources at his fingertips than the police to protect everyone.

 

“You’re right. I’ve got one of the best attorney’s in the country and I am going to hire the best people in the world to protect them. I should call the police and see if the call can help my case.”

 

Adam picked up the phone and dialled the number on the card he had been given by Detective Kerry earlier. He liked the detective, the man seemed to honestly care about the outcome of the investigation and took him seriously.

 

“Kerry speaking.”

 

At the husky voice Adam said seriously, “Hello detective Kerry. It’s Adam Lambert. I'm calling because my husband has left a voicemail on my phone threatening me and threatening to kill Kris.”

 

“Okay, stay calm Mr Lambert. Do you still have the voicemail on your phone?” Kerry asked worried.

 

Adam promptly replied, “Yes.”

 

“Great. I'm going to come by and collect it. Have you got bodyguards?”

 

“I can get some right away and I am going to see about getting a restraining order against Nathan.”

 

“Until you get your bodyguards, we are going to assign some patrol officers just in case Mr Alexander does anything.”

 

“Okay, thanks for your help, detective. I need to go out and get stuff for my children though.”

 

Adam wanted to get some toys for the children since he hadn’t been able to pack anything. It wasn’t something he could expect other people to buy but at the same time, he didn’t want to put them in danger. he didn’t want to be separated from the children unless it was vital given how traumatic the last two days had been.

 

“Just make sure you take security with you,” Kerry said realising such things would be essential and children couldn’t cooped up.

 

“I will,” Adam vowed before ending the call.

 

Adam smiled widely, feeling better now that he had talked to the detective. His worries were being taken seriously and Nathan was going to be kept away. Now he was going to do his best to make the shopping trip cheerful for the children, unlike most children the pair seemed to enjoy shopping. Tiffany was loved wearing hats and as many, orange or green clothes as possible adored wearing hats and as much green as possible.

 

“I want to take Tiffany and Patrick shopping for toys. They are going to end up bored out of their minds soon and it’ll help take their mind off what’s happening. Do you want to come with me?”

 

Kris considered Adam’s suggestion, not wanting to invade the family time, feeling as though the children would want some time just with Adam. On the other hand, he wanted to get to know Tiffany and Patrick since he intended to spend a lot of time with them in the future. He would be overjoyed if the children considered him to be an honorary uncle at some point in the future.

 

“I’d like that but are we going to get some bodyguards?” Kris suggested.

 

Adam nodded, “I'll arrange it with the label and we need to wait for detective Kerry to come by and pick up my phone. I'll have to buy a new one.”

 

“Good idea, do you want to call your mom or anything?”

 

Disgusted that he hadn’t called her already, Adam nodded quickly. He should have called her as soon as he saw the report on television. She had to be terrified, he was actually surprised that his dad and Neil hadn’t phoned yet but knowing his mom she had probably told them all that she would deal with it.

 

“Yeah. She’s going to freak out.”

 

“Probably.” Kris admitted, he had been doing the same thing the whole time he had been driving to meet Adam in the hotel.

 

Kris thought for a few minutes before mentally going through the contents of his kitchen saying, “I'll fix lunch while you call her. What should I make for the children? I’ve got pasta, peanut butter, tuna, cheese, cucumber, rice, cooked chicken and beef...I can’t remember what else. I’ve also got bananas, apples, raisins, peaches if you want to give them fruit. Oh, do you want anything to eat?”

 

Adam answered, “Thanks. Patrick likes grilled cheese and chicken sandwich. I normally give him a banana as well. Tiffany likes tuna and cucumber sandwiches and raisins. I don’t need anything.”

 

“Okay,” Kris said before heading to the kitchen to make lunch.

 

Adam was touched by how helpful Kris was being considering that they hadn’t seen each other for years and he had called the man out of the blue seeking sanctuary for his family. He had basically invaded Kris’s life and the man didn’t seem to mind, but then Kris was the kind of man who would go the extra mile for his friends.

 

Adam dialled his mom’s number and nervously paced, knowing he was going to hurt her by admitting what had been happening for years.

 

“Adam! What’s happening? Are you okay?” Leila Lambert said terrified.

 

“Mom, it’s okay. I...I had to leave Nathan. He’s been hurting me mom and I couldn’t stay any longer when he threatened to hurt my babies.”

 

“What do you mean hurting you?”

 

“Mainly punching and kicking me. I...I’m sorry mom. I should have left him earlier but I was so scared.”

 

“Oh, honey. You have nothing to be sorry about. How long has he been hurting you?”

 

“Around three years. Mom, it’s okay, I'm away from him and I’ve spoken to the police. He’s not going to get near me, Tiffany or Patrick ever again.”

 

“I'll tear him to pieces if he tries. Where are you? You can come and stay with me. Please, you’ve got to let someone take care of you.”

 

Adam reassured, “I'm okay, mom. We are staying with Kris for a bit, we’ve got plenty of security and Kris has a wonderful security system. Don’t tell anyone where I am, I can’t risk anyone else finding out where I am.”

 

Surprised Leila said, “I didn’t realise you and Kris were still friends. Be careful and take care of yourself and the children.”

 

“I will mom, just be careful yourself. Nathan said he would hurt you.”

 

“He’s not going to get near me,” Leila reassured.

 

Saying farewell, Adam hung up the phone before walking into the kitchen to help Kris make lunch. Adam had to smile, years ago he had dreamt of such a day happening. He had been head over heels in love with Kris before getting hold of himself and burying his feelings for the straight southerner. Now, he just wanted to get back the friendship he and Kris had once shared. It would be so easy to fall into their old patterns as though they had never been apart, in reality neither of them was the same person they had been when they met.

*******

Nathan glared at the television in front of him, unable to believe what he was hearing. The annoyingly upbeat reporter said his weak, traitorous, whore of a husband had sought comfort and protection from Kris Allen after being subjected to a violent attack at Nathan’s hands.

 

Nathan had no idea that Adam was still in contact with Kris Allen but it was the only possibility since he couldn’t imagine Kris just helping someone he hadn’t spoken to in years. Nathan had taken pains to ensure Adam and Kris were kept away from each other as a matter of self preservation. Kris’s connection with Adam was dangerous since the man would be able to tell that Adam was being kept under control by judicious use of violence and threats on Nathan’s part.

 

Going into his bedroom, Nathan quickly packed a bag, eager to get his husband back where he belonged, on his knees. He would happily destroy Kris for taking Adam from him. Adam and Kris were going to pay and they wouldn’t even see him coming.

*******

“What are we going shopping for Daddy?” Tiffany asked as she toyed with the green beaded necklace she had insisted on wearing.

 

With a small grin, Adam said, “We’re going to get some toys for you and Patrick. I think we should buy some paints and lots of paper. You can do some new pictures for here.”

 

Tiffany grinned and tightly hugged her Daddy in glee. Painting was one of her favourite things to do, she loved using as many colours as possible to make pretty pictures for everyone. All her pictures were put on the walls in Adam’s studio.

 

“Really, Mr Kris?”

 

“I’d love to have some pictures drawn by you and Patrick. I'll put them on my refrigerator so I can see them every morning,” Kris said sincerely, happy at the excited spark in the little girl’s eyes.

 

Kris was pleased to see Tiffany was happy and didn’t seem to be unsettled by the craziness of the last two days. Patrick seemed to be a very gentle boy with an adorable laugh and Adam’s inquisitive nature. Kris was a surprised by how quick Patrick could move, he seemed to run instead of walking.

 

“Let’s go then!” Tiffany said eagerly.

 

Adam grabbed the baby bag he carried around containing, baby wipes, band aids, bottles of juice, boxes of raisins, some small toy cars and dolls. He tended to go overboard but he wanted to everything at hand for his children. Taking hold of Tiffany and Patrick’s hands,  Adam led the way out of the door, laughing at Tiffany’s urging to hurry up before the stores ran out of paints.

 

Arming the security system, Kris followed behind the family looking forward to the coming shopping trip but anxious that something was going to happen to one of them. He hoped that people would have seen the report and know that Adam hadn’t kidnapped the children.

 

Adam was pleased to see the three bodyguards sent by the record company had just pulled into the driveway. Three might be overdoing it but he didn’t want to take any chances. He had asked for at least two female bodyguards so his children wouldn’t be intimidated.

 

*******

 

As his partner walked over frowning, Kerry looked up in confusion. The Lambert case seemed to be a fairly open and shut case. They had evidence of Alexander’s abuse from the photographs and the report from the social worker clearly thought that he was abusive.

 

Foster said seriously, “We’ve got trouble. The LAPD went to arrest Alexander and he wasn’t there. He’s told his secretary that he is taking a sabbatical. They’ve got an APB out on him.”

 

Foster was worried since someone, probably a cop, had spilled the beans to the press about Adam Lambert being with Kris Allen. To his mind, it was likely that Alexander was on his way to San Diego. He was disgusted that someone would do something to put Adam Lambert and his children in danger just so they could feel important for a little bit.

 

Kerry said sighing, “I'll give Lambert a call and make sure he keeps his guard up. We should probably have a patrol car add it to their route just in case. Do you think the brass will authorise a car to watch the house tonight?”

 

“Probably since his husband is an abusive bastard and they’re panicking about someone as famous as him getting hurt on their watch. At least Lambert has bodyguards, I can’t see Alexander going after him in broad daylight.”

 

The bodyguards would give them one less thing to worry about and would reduce the chances of something happening, great since they didn’t have the resources to give the singer a 24/7 guard. With that thought in mind, Kerry picked up the phone so he could get everything organised.

*******

Adam’s eyes were sparkling as they walked through the streets, holding on tightly to his children’s hands, surprised to see Tiffany lightly holding onto Kris’s hand. The shopping trip had been remarkably ordinary and he loved it. He wasn’t used to being outside the house with his children whenever he wanted since Nathan had pretty much kept him under house arrest, only able to leave when his career demanded it and when Nathan accompanied him.

 

They were about to walk past Rock'n Sprouts when a top in the window caught his eye, it would look wonderful on Patrick. Since they had already picked up most of the toys, he thought the children wouldn’t mind a short clothing store detour before they headed back to Kris’s home.

 

“Let’s have a quick look in here.”

 

“Do you think they’ll have some green or pink dresses?”

 

“I'm not sure, honey.” Adam said softly, he was willing to trawl through the entire store to find one.

 

Adam was going to enjoy buying clothes for his children that weren’t on a list dictated by Nathan. Nathan had very strong opinions on what children should wear and insisted Adam only bought clothes he would approve of or else Adam would get another beating. To Nathan girls should only wear dresses and skirts whilst boys should wear slacks or dress pants with shirts. Adam managed to buy more normal and relaxed clothing for his children by saving $30 dollars from each weekly budget Nathan gave him for groceries, within a month, he would have enough to buy both Tiffany and Patrick some ideal clothing.

 

Tiffany smiled widely, she loved shopping with her Daddy but they didn’t do it a lot. Father would yell at her Daddy if they went shopping a lot or spent a lot of time. She had heard Father yelling at Daddy that he should stop spending Father’s money and stay in where people couldn’t see how pathetic he was, Father called Daddy pathetic a lot. She didn’t know what it meant but it wasn’t a good word since it made her Daddy sad.

 

She was happy they would be away from Father, and didn’t want to see him again. she didn’t like it when he yelled or made Daddy cry. She didn’t need Father because she had the bestest Daddy in the whole world.

*******

Seeing his traitorous husband smiling and laughing caused hatred to surge in Nathan’s veins, how dare the man be so happy. Adam had ruined Nathan’s life by making him look like a fool to the rest of the world, even worse to him, a fool with who couldn’t keep his husband under control. Adam had betrayed him after he had bended over backwards to give the singer everything he had ever wanted, even children. Although he had never been interested in children, Nathan had allowed Adam to have the children he had always wanted and he let Adam have a music career, when by all rights the man should be at home, attending to his ever need.

 

Nathan freely admitted to using his fists and feet to teach his husband how to behave but felt was Adam’s fault for not being a better husband. Adam was stubborn and never seemed to understand his place so Nathan used violence to teach him. Of course, Nathan had realised people would start asking ridiculous questions and filling Adam’s head with nonsense such as how he didn’t deserve to be hit or that he should leave. The very idea filled Nathan with rage, every violent act he had committed against Adam was for a reason, it wasn’t his fault that his weak, vapid husband couldn’t understand. Nathan felt it was his duty to make Adam into the obedient husband he deserved. Nathan smiled darkly; Kris Allen was a dead man walking. Kris’s death would make Adam suitably cowed and the man would accept his status as Nathan’s slave and whore.

 

Nathan was in position and ready to take Kris Allen down, he just wanted to make sure the bodyguards that had followed the group were unreachable when he took revenge. He was lucky that the Allen home was surrounded by a grove of trees, making it ideal for him to get into position without anyone suspecting anything. He quickly put together his rifle, looking through the scope to make sure it was in position. He decided not to kill Allen in view of the children since he didn’t want to pay for the therapy bills or risk the children becoming unstable embarrassments in the future.

*******

“You look good,” Kris said frankly as Adam walking into the room after putting the children to bed.

 

“Yeah, makeup works wonders.” Adam said, stretching slightly to work out the kink his neck caused by sitting in one place for two hours reading stories to his children.

 

Kris blushed, “I didn’t mean the makeup. I meant...you actually smiled today. A real smile like the Adam I met years ago.”

 

“He’s still a part of me but I don’t think I'll ever be that naive and trusting again. I should have left Nathan years ago when he first hit me but I believed he would never do it again.”

 

“Adam, you weren’t to know what kind of man he was and you simply trusted the man you loved. don’t let Nathan do this to you, don’t let him destroy your spirit or stop you from trusting people. Yeah, Nathan is an evil bastard who should never see the light of day but not everyone is like that.”

 

“I guess. It’s just hard and... I guess a part of me kinda thinks I did something to make him start hitting me in the first place.”

 

Kris said passionately, “You didn’t do anything; he’s just an unstable shadow of a man.”

 

“I know logically that’s true but it’s not easy to undo years of conditioning and fear,” Adam said embarrassed.

 

Kris said sincerely, “I'll be here to help you. I'm sorry for letting our friendship fade away. I figured our careers and schedules were just driving us apart. After the last four times we tried to meet up years ago failed, I just kinda gave up.”

 

“I really wanted to meet you but Nathan kinda got in the way. I didn’t know how he would react and to be honest, Nathan didn’t pass over some of your messages. He would brag about it sometimes. Well, I'm just happy to have you back in my life,” Adam said gently.

 

“I'm glad to have you back in my life as well. Now why don’t you and have a long bath and relax.”

 

“That sounds wonderful,” Adam said honestly.

 

Kris smiled at the thrilled reply before Adam left the room. It was good to see Adam smile again, he never wanted to see that beautiful smile disappear. It felt amazing to have his friend with him again even though he was afraid to ask about Adam’s life in the last three years because it had been fraught with pain. Whilst Adam’s career exploded, it was clear that his personal life was full of violence and fear.

*******

Walking back into the lounge to grab his I-Pod, Adam screamed on finding Kris lying on the floor blood coming from his chest and stomach. Adam ran over and tried to put pressure on the profusely bleeding wounds, absently noting that they were bullet wounds. All he could think about was stopping the blood and if this meant his children were in danger.

 

Adam said frantically, “Kris, it’s Adam. You’re going to be okay, baby. Just hold on, stay with me.”

 

“Adam...wanna tell you...before...” Kris slurred, panting hard as he forced out each word.

 

Adam crooned, “Don’t talk like that, baby. You can tell me whatever you want tomorrow when the doctor’s have patched you up. Just please stay still. Hold on for me, Kris.”

 

He almost screamed in frustration at the realisation that he wouldn’t be able to keep pressure on both wounds and call the police at the same time. Letting of Kris’s stomach, he desperately stretched just enough to reach the phone on the end table whilst keeping pressure on the chest wound. With a shaking hand, Adam dialled the police, putting the phone on speaker so that he could focus on trying to stop the blood. He could hear Kris’s laboured breathing and that terrified him. He couldn’t lose Kris.

 

Adam had no idea what he had told the dispatcher, all he knew was that he was supposed to stay there and apply pressure. After what seemed like hours, there was a loud knock just before the medics appeared.

 

“Sir, we’re going to take care of him. You can let go now,” A low female voice said.

 

Adam nodded, quickly moving back and staring in fear at the tableau in front of him as the medics worked hard to save Kris. They were talking rapidly to each other and Adam couldn’t understand what it all meant. Adam snarled when the police officer detective Foster had said would be sitting outside their house, walked in with a surprised look on his face. In that moment, he hated the man for not doing his job and protecting Kris. If it wasn’t for the officer, Kris would be safe and lying on the sofa.

 

“Mr Lambert. Are you hurt anywhere?” The police officer asked carefully.

 

“No... the blood is Kris’s. I need to get clean and get my babies because there I no way I am staying here.”

 

Adam watched as Kris was stretchered out of the house, still alarmingly pale but the flow of blood seemed to be ebbing away. Ignoring the police officer who was watching from the lounge door, Adam quickly left the room and washed his hands in the kitchen sink before going upstairs. Adam bit his lip as he thought about what to do now, he wanted to be at the hospital but he had his children to think about and couldn’t take them to the hospital, it would be too traumatic for them. Adam cursed that there was no one nearby he could trust with his children. Looking at them curled up together in the king sized bed, Adam’s heart wrenched at the realisation that their lives were going to be touched by violence yet again because a part of Adam believed Nathan had been the one who had shot Kris. His husband was violent and his army background meant he was a crack shot.

 

“D...Daddy, what’s happened?” Tiffany said sleepily, rubbing her eyes.

 

Deciding he should be honest Adam said, “Kris got a little hurt. He’s gone to the hospital.”

 

“Did Father hurt him?” Tiffany asked nervously,

 

Adam sat next to her on the bed and soothingly stroked her head saying, “I don’t think so, darling. Don’t worry, the doctors are looking after him.”

 

“Good. Daddy...he’s a nice man. I don’t want him to go away.”

 

“I know and I don’t either. Now go to sleep, baby.”

 

Tiffany nodded, nestling into the pillow and closing her eyes. If her Daddy said Kris was going to be okay then he would be because Daddy never lied.

 

Adam waited until she had gone back to sleep and walked back downstairs, ready for the questions from the police although there wasn’t much he could tell them. His mind was on Kris and for the first time in years he found himself fervently praying for Kris to make it through safe and sound.

*******

“Okay, what have we got here?” The tall, athletic male doctor said as the ambulance doors opened and his patient came into view.

 

The female medic reeled off, “Kristopher Allen, 35, GSW to the stomach and abdomen. Pulse is tacky in the 140’s and dropped his systolic to 77.”

 

“We need to intubate and get him to the OR immediately,” The doctor said quickly before the assembled medics quickly pushed the stretcher down the corridor.

 

The female medic continued reassuring her patient as made their way down the corridor, unclear as to how much he could understand but knowing she had to make sure he stayed calm and conscious.

 

*******

 

As he walked towards the lounge a wall clock caught Adam’s eye, he couldn’t believe I had only been ten minutes since he had found Kris lying in a pool of blood and gasping for breath. When he got to the lounge door Adam was shocked to find he room cordoned off  with a stern looking uniformed officer nodded his head politely at Adam.

 

Adam gave a weak shadow of a smile ad detectives Kerry and Foster walked over he was confused since he thought the detectives had finished their shift. Out the corner of his eye Adam was surprised to see uniformed officers along with detectives Foster and Kerry, having assumed the detectives had finished their shift.

 

“Mr Lambert, I need to take your statement. Are your children okay?”

 

“Okay and they’re fine.” Adam said distractedly as he followed the detectives out of the room into the Kris’s media room/lounge.

 

“Adam, why don’t you sit down?” Detective Foster said politely.

 

Adam followed the detective’s order and took a seat, feeling though he was going to explode with nervous energy. He felt guilty that he couldn’t be with Kris but the welling being and safety of his children came first.

 

“Why did it take you all so long to get here?” Adam said angrily.

 

Detective Kerry wasn’t surprised by the man’s reaction knowing the man was probably hyped up on adrenalin. He didn’t think the man had realised there were two police officers in the room and another four scouring the Allen homestead to see if they could find the shooter. To his mind, the most likely suspect was Nathan Alexander but he wasn’t going to let his feelings change how he handled the case.

 

Detective Foster reassured, “We got here within minutes, Mr Lambert. Now can you please tell me what happened?”

 

Trying to regain control of his temper Adam blurted, “I was going to get a bath and I realised I had left my I-pod in the lounge so I came back down. I walked into the lounge and Kris was lying their bleeding and gasping for breath. I tried to stop the bleeding and it just kept covering my hands. I called 911 so I had to let go of Kris’s stomach. Do you think I made it worse by doing that? God, I should have known being here would put Kris in danger. It’s all my fault.”

 

Not wanting the interview to be sidetracked by Adam’s insecurities Detective Kerry said seriously, “Did you see anyone acting suspicious today? Anyone who was watching you a little too much?”

 

Adam shook his head, “No. We had a really good day shopping. I wasn’t really paying attention to my surroundings when we were in the car.”

 

“Do you who might have done this, Adam?”

 

Adam said bitterly, “Apart my deranged husband no one else comes to mind and he’s a crack shot, he used to hunt when he was younger and he was a sniper in the army.”

 

“Would you like us to find a safe house for you?”

 

Touched by detective Foster’s offer Adam shook his head, “No. I'll get some more bodyguards and security staff to be with us permanently. I should have done it from the beginning but I never thought we would be attacked here.”

 

Detective Kerry said seriously, “Okay, that’s all we need for now. We’ll contact you when we have some more information, Adam. I am going to have patrol cars watching the front and back of the house to make sure nothing happens. Officer Neal will be in the lounge to make sure no one goes into the crime scene until it has been cleared by our investigators. The CSI should be here in a minute or so.”

 

Adam nodded in thanks smiling in relief when Foster said that they would show themselves out. All he had to do was stay calm and when the children woke up they would go to see Kris. Kris was going to be okay, he had to be. Standing, Adam paced as he tried to figure out what was the best thing to do next because he was beginning to doubt the police’s ability to capture Nathan and that terrified him. Every second that Nathan was free, everyone Adam had ever loved was in danger. Adam had a feeling that Nathan was the one who had shot Kris, he was confused as to why Nathan had targeted Kris instead of him. Looking down at his hand, Adam was surprised to see he phone in his hand.

 

“Hi, Mrs Allen. It’s Adam, Adam Lambert.”

 

“Adam, it’s been a long time since we talked. How are you?”

 

Tears in his eyes Adam said, “I'm okay, Mrs Allen. I’m sorry...Kris...he was shot.”

 

“Oh Lord, where is he?” Kim Allen said shakily.

 

Adam explained seriously, “He’s been taken to the hospital. I don’t know how he is though...I couldn’t go with him. My babies need me here.”

 

“I...I know. I couldn’t ask you to do anything else. Where are you?”

 

“I'm at Kris’s. He’s been letting me stay here since...” Adam said, his voice trailing off as he tried to think of a polite way to explain why he was with Kris.

 

Remembering the earlier new reports, Kim Allen blushed saying quickly, “Oh Adam, forgive me, I didn’t mean to dredge up any bad memories. Are you okay and safe?”

 

“I'm okay, Mrs Allen.”

 

“Alright then. We’ll be there soon. Just stay strong, Adam.” Kim Allen said ending the call.

 

Adam stared at the phone in his hand in shock, he couldn’t believe Kris’s mom had actually tried to comfort him after he had just told her that Kris had been shot. It was easy to see where Kris got his caring, selfless nature from. Taking a deep breath, Adam push away all of his fears, Kris was going to be okay.

******* 

Kris was powerless to help as he watched Adam suffer at Nathan's hands again and again. He screamed for the man to let the singer go but the cold hearted cruel man ignored his pleas and Adam...he was looking straight into Kris’s eyes, betrayal and anger burning in those blue orbs.

 

Kris’s legs felt as though they were encased in concrete as he moved towards Nathan, each step more painful than the last but he couldn’t let that stop him. Adam needed him and he wouldn’t let Adam down again.

 

After what felt like an eternity, Kris reached the now bleeding Adam and reached out to touch the now bruised skin but before he could, the singer was pulled down into darkness.

 

Kris screamed out in denial and found himself staring up at a white ceiling, Adam nowhere to be found. Slowly he realised that he was in the hospital and wondered why. He stilled when the memories hit of Adam telling him to hold on, blood staining the dark haired man’s clothes. He was terrified to find that Adam wasn’t in sight, clearly the man had been injured. He needed to get out of the bed and find Adam, just as e was planning his escape a doctor walked in.

 

“Good afternoon, Mr. Allen. I'm Dr. Stewart. You are going to be okay, the operation went smoothly.”

 

“Where’s Adam?”

 

“There was no one brought in with you, Mr Allen. Just stay calm and we can have someone let him know where you are. Do you have a phone number for him?”

 

“He’s at my house. Please just tell him that I'm okay.”

 

The doctor nodded brusquely, “Okay, I'll have someone call him. Just stay calm and get some sleep.”

 

Kris gave a relieved sigh, needing to make sure Adam and the children hadn’t been attacked. To Kris it was clear that the only person that could have shot him and that was Nathan Alexander, meaning the man would not hesitate to kill Adam or the children. Kris was wanted nothing more than to leave the bed so he could go and protect the family.

*******

“Hello, can I please speak to Mr Adam Lambert?”

 

“Speaking, how can I help?”

 

“Good morning, Mr Lambert. I am Dr. Stewart; I'm calling on the request of Kristopher Allen.”

 

Adam felt his heartbeat return to normal as he realised it meant Kris was okay, he had to be if he had told the doctor to call him. He knew there was no other reason why the doctor would be calling him.

 

“Is Kris okay?” Adam asked anxiously.

 

“Yes, he is awake and he can have visitors.”

 

“Thank you. please tell Kris that I'll come by and see him as soon as possible.”

 

The doctor nodded saying, “Of course, Mr Lambert.”

 

Adam thanked the man again before ending the call, feeling like a he could breathe properly since Kris had been shot. Adam wasn’t one for denial and recognised the reason for his concern was because his crush for Kris had never disappeared, would probably never disappear. He had loved Kris as a friend for so long, even when they hadn’t been able to see each, the younger man was in his heart.

 

Adam vowed that he wouldn’t let his feeling progress into a romantic love, he couldn’t put his heart on the line again. He knew Kris was straight and there was no chance for them to have relationship, there was no point in deluding himself that it could be other way.

 

*******

Nathan snarled as he heard the news on radio, Kris Allen had survived. It wasn’t right, Kris Allen was supposed to be dead and Adam was meant to be broken and begging for forgiveness. He couldn’t understand how Allen could have survived, his shots were perfect and he had watched the man go down.

 

A creak outside his room, caused Nathan to freeze in place. There was no reason for someone to be near his room, it wasn’t as if the fleabag motel had maids. The whole reason he had picked the place was because no one would disturb him. Nathan smoothly picked up his gun from the bedside table, ready to kill if anyone tried to get into his room.

 

He wouldn’t let the police catch him. There was no way he would go to jail, he wasn’t naive about what could happen in there. His sexuality and his methods of training his husband would undoubtedly make him a target. He doubted the majority of prisoners would care that Adam wasn’t a woman, they would just treat him with the same violence and contempt metered out to wife-beaters.

 

Cocking his gun, Nathan fired just as the door opened, watching as a uniformed police officer went down. Before he could take advantage of his good fortune, police officers forced their way into his room, he continued firing his gun.

 

Nathan’s only thought was that he couldn’t be taken alive, as a pain radiated in his chest as he fell down. Touching his chest, Nathan was both pleased and angry to find blood. He was going to die and his only regret was that he couldn’t make Adam pay for his betrayal.

*******

Detective Kerry looked at his partner, still feeling relieved that the older man had volunteered to be the one on notification duty. He knew that Adam Lambert wouldn’t be upset to hear about the demise of his abusive husband but that didn’t make the job any easier.

 

“The hard part’s going to be getting the kids away from him to tell him. From what I’ve seen the children don’t want to leave his side, understandable really given their history but they don’t need to find out like this. Their Father was an abusive asshole but when push comes to shove, he was their Father.”

 

Kerry nodded saying, “I'm sure Lambert will help with that, he’s got to know this won’t be good news.”

 

“Yeah. Let’s go then,” Foster said as they pulled to a stop outside the Allen home.

 

The detectives got out of the car only to be stopped by a tall, athletic looking man. they were both pleased and shocked at the level of security Lambert had employed. If the man had these kind of resources at his disposal, why hadn’t the man used them before now?

 

“Good afternoon, gentleman. Can I ask why you are here?”

 

“We’re detectives Kerry and Foster. Do you have a license to carry that?”

 

“Of course. Show me some identification please,” The man said calmly.

 

The detectives took out their badges, and handed them to the security guard, watching with barely veiled annoyance at how long the man was taking.

 

After studying the badges carefully the security guard handed them back saying, “Okay, you can go in.”

 

The detectives ignored the superior tone in the man’s voice and strolled up the path. Knocking on the door, Foster smiled politely when a blonde haired woman opened the door.

 

“Hello, I'm detective Jeff Foster and this is my partner, Tony Kerry. We need to speak to Mr Lambert.”

 

“Okay, please come in detectives. My name is Alice, I'm one of Mr Lambert’s bodyguards. I'll take you to him.”

 

The detectives followed her instructions and walked through the house, surprised by the sound of singing.

 

“Well, she's walking through the clouds,  
With a circus mind that's running wild,  
Butterflies and Zebras,  
And Moonbeams and fairy tales.  
That's all she ever thinks about.  
Riding with the wind.  
  
When I'm sad, she comes to me,  
With a thousand smiles she gives to me free.  
It's alright, she says it's alright,  
Take anything you want from me,  
Anything.  
Fly on little wing.”

 

“That was pretty, Daddy!” Tiffany said with a smile as the detectives walked through the lounge door.

 

Feeling eyes on him, Adam turned both surprised and shocked to find the detectives standing there with serious looks on his faces. Adam’s heart seized, had something else happened to Kris? The man was supposed to be in hospital getting well but that didn’t mean he would be safe from Nathan. Adam had to admit his husband could be resourceful.

 

“Mr Lambert, we need to talk to you.” Detective Foster said with a polite smile.

 

Adam nodded in understanding, knowing the children shouldn’t hear whatever it was the detectives had to say, Adam tried to think of a way to distract them just as Alice walked in the door. Alice was a great bodyguard and since she had three children, the woman would know how to keep them entertained for a few minutes.

 

“Alice, I just need to talk to these detectives for a minute. Can you stay here with the children for a few?”

 

“Sure,” Alice said with a shrug.

 

Seeing his daughter was worried, Adam knelt so that he was at her level saying, “I'm just going to be in the next room.”

 

Tiffany stopped to think it over before deciding it was okay, the policemen seemed to be nice and Alice liked to draw so they could so some pictures for Daddy. She nodded at her Daddy and watched as the man walked out of the door.

 

“What’s happened?” Adam asked the detectives once they were safely out of Tiffany’s earshot.

 

“Nathan Alexander was killed an hour ago,” Detective Foster said seriously.

 

Adam stilled unable to decide how he felt about the man’s death, his first reaction was relief and satisfaction but a part of him mourned the man that he had once known, the man he had fallen in love with. Adam knew he was crazy to think like that, the Nathan he had fallen for had just been a facade to hide the man’s cruel, sadistic, controlling nature.

 

“Thank you for telling me. Do you need anything else detectives?”

 

“No,” Kerry said, speaking up for the first time since entering the Allen home.

 

Adam nodded and quickly showed the men out of the house, trying to think of some way to break the news to his children that Nathan was dead. Despite everything that he had done Nathan was their Father and so it would probably hurt them to have lost him.

Walking back into the lounge Adam said softly, “Thank you, Alice.”

 

“No problem, boss.” Alice said with a quirky grin before leaving the room.

 

Adam waited until she had left to sit on the floor between his children, sitting Patrick on his knee and gently hugged him. Tiffany was up against his side, stilling drawing a picture of a purple unicorn.

 

“My darlings, I’ve got something really important to tell you. Your Father has died, that means his body stopped working. This means that he won’t come back.”

 

“So he’s not going to hurt you anymore or yell at us?”

 

Tears came to Adam’s eyes when he heard the hope in his daughter’s voice, why had he never realised just how much pain she was in.

 

Adam said softly, “Oh, baby girl. He’s not going to hurt anyone ever again. It’s okay to be sad that he’s died and you are not going to see him again.”

 

Tiffany nodded in understanding, she didn’t feel sad but maybe she would later. She was glad her Father wasn’t going to hurt her Daddy anymore or yell because he was scary sometimes.

 

*******

Adam took a deep breath, preparing himself for what he might find when he walked into Kris’s room. The doctor had said Kris was okay and talking but all Adam could think about was Kris’s precious blood staining his hands. Adam was still amazed Kim Allen had hugged him when they met and thanked you for saving her son. Adam couldn’t believe she was thanking him when it was his fault that Kris was shot. He was touched that she had insisted he be the first to see Kris, since he had saved him and deserved to be the first to see him well.

 

Adam opened the door to find one of the most beautiful sights he had ever seen, Kris was sitting up on the bed with a tired smile on his face.

 

Kris said happily, “Hi Adam. It’s great to see you. Are you and the children okay, Nathan hasn’t done anything?”

 

Taking a seat at the top of Kris’s bed Adam said bluntly, “We’re good. Nathan was killed when the cops went to arrest him. The bastard killed a cop.”

 

Kris nodded in understanding, as cold as it might be, he was glad Nathan was dead. Nathan’s death had freed Adam from the man’s clutches and there was no chance of Adam and the children being hurt.

 

“I'm sorry about the cop dying but I'm happy he won’t be coming after you and the children again. How are they taking it?”

 

Adam sighed, “Patrick doesn’t seem to be upset at the moment but I don’t know how much he understands. Tiffany is...well, she hasn’t cried if anything she seemed relieved. All she wanted to know was if it meant Nathan wouldn’t be able to hurt me and shout. God, her first thought was that I wouldn’t get hurt. That is so fucked up Kris. How much have I scarred her by staying with that Nathan?”

 

“Adam, it’s going to be okay. Tiffany is going to be okay and she seems resilient. We can take her to talk to someone, if you want?”

 

Adam nodded quickly, “I’ve already made an appointment with a child psychologist for them both and one for me. I know Patrick is young to see a shrink but I want to make sure he’s okay.”

 

“They are going to be okay and so are you. Don’t let that scum destroy your family.”

 

Adam said solemnly, “I won’t. It might be difficult but we will get through this. Kris, can I stay with you until I can find somewhere for us?”

 

“Of course. You can stay as long as you need to.” Kris said, unwilling to voice his thoughts that he wanted Adam and the children to stay with him forever.

 

Kris had no idea how to voice his thoughts without making it sound like he was a demanding, possessive asshole. Kris had always wanted a family, he just hadn’t imagined Adam would be his partner. Kris had always wanted a relationship with Adam but had resigned himself to the fact that it would never happen when Adam had started seeing Nathan. He had watched from the sidelines as Adam and Nathan’s relationship became stronger until they married. It was because of his feelings for Adam that his relationship with Katy had floundered. Katy had insisted she couldn’t remain married to a man who was totally in love with someone else.

 

Kris felt he couldn’t pursue Adam at the moment since the man was still getting over the trauma of his relationship with Nathan. Kris was willing to wait though, as long as it took for Adam to be ready for a relationship, he just hoped that Adam didn’t reject him.

 

“Thank you. Kris, do you want to go out for a meal when you get out of here as a thank you?” Adam said eager to make sure his friend didn’t think he was asking him out on a date.

 

There was no way Adam could cope without Kris in his life so he couldn’t risk his friend finding out about his feelings. Years ago, Adam had confessed his crush on Kris and the man had been fine with it but it wouldn’t be the same now since his crush was stronger now than ever before. Adam had no idea if it was because Kris had protected him so much and he would explore that issue with a psychologist. A part of Adam hoped that’s all it was because he didn’t know how he would cope if he fell inexplicably in love with his friend. He felt able to breathe again now that he had seen with his own eyes that Kris was okay, it made him believe that his family and Kris would be able to recover from the wounds both physical and mental that Nathan had inflicted.

 

“That sounds good,” Kris said with a smile.

 

“Great. I'll go and let your mom come in here,” Adam said with a happy grin before leaving the room.

 

Adam walked out of the room and down the corridor to where Kim Allen was impatiently waiting whispering a soft farewell as he focused on just how he was going to find a psychologist to help him find a way to stop his crush on Kris ruining his family's new start. 

*******

Nine months later an eight year old Tiffany looked at her Daddy and wondered why he wasn’t married to Uncle Kris. She liked Kris, he played music to her and Patrick, read to them and helped her with her homework. Kris had made a big cake for her birthday and he took them to Disneyland with Daddy. He was always there and he had gone to see her teacher when she had fallen in school and her Daddy was singing in Canada. He had held her hand when the doctor had put the orange cast on her arm.

 

“Daddy, why aren’t you married to Uncle Kris?”

 

“What?” Adam said in a mix of embarrassment and shock, just out the corner of his eye, he caught Kris smiling.

 

Tiffany said quickly, “Well, he’s nice to all of us. He makes you smile and you look at each other with cow eyes like Uncle Neil and Auntie Helena.”

 

“Really?” Adam asked, feeling as though his world had been tipped on its axis.

 

“Yeah Daddy. I think he’s a really good Papa.”

 

“Tiffany, baby. Uncle Kris doesn’t like me like that,” Adam said desperately.

 

“He does too,” Tiffany protested before yelling, “Uncle Kris, you love Daddy, right? A hugs and kisses kinda love like Uncle Neil and Auntie Helena?”?”

 

“I sure do, darling.”

 

“Good. Well, kiss Daddy so he can see you really love him.” Tiffany demanded.

 

Kris nodded in acceptance before pulling Adam towards him and into a passionate kiss. the kiss seemed to last forever but at the same time not long enough, the kiss was fuelled by their pent up desire, love and need for each other. The sound of coughing broke them apart, as one the men turned to find Tiffany impatiently tapping her foot.

 

“See, I was right. Now you can get married and I can be the flower girl. Can I have a green dress and carry orange flowers? Can I call you Papa now or after you and Daddy gets married?”

 

Adam swallowed nervously before saying, “Tiffany, I think it might be a little soon for us to get married.”

 

“Don’t be silly, Daddy. You and Uncle Kris should get married. Even Grandma said so,” Tiffany said remembering what she heard grandma saying to granddad.

 

Looking at Kris, Adam could see the love, hope and trust burning in the man’s eyes along with the promise of eternity together. It was like a dream come true for him, a dream he never wanted to wake up from. He wanted nothing more than to be with Kris but had never imagined it would become a reality.

 

Adam pushed down all of his fears and asked, “What do you say, Kris. Do you want to get married and spend the rest of your life with me?”

 

Kris furiously blinked back happy tears saying, “There’s nothing I want more. I love you, Adam.”

 

“I love you too, Kris.” Adam said gently before pulling his fiancé into a soft, gentle kiss.

 

With a put upon sigh, Tiffany walked back into the house to play with Patrick. Her Daddy was so silly at times; uncle Kris should have been her papa ages ago. She couldn’t wait until Daddy and Papa Kris got married, she was going to be the best flower girl ever.

 

The End.


End file.
